Contribution to the circular economy - Recycling for the future

Packaging specialist ALPLA is currently building a recycling plant in the Mexican state of Tabasco together with beverage bottler Coca-Cola FEMSA. The joint venture is investing around 60 million US dollars in the new high-tech PLANETA plant, which will be able to recycle more than 50,000 tons of used PET bottles per year. The material comes from 18 collection points set up specifically for this purpose, where it is delivered by intermediaries who have previously purchased it from regional collectors. In total, the plant will create around 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.

After the IMER recycling plant, PLANETA is another project for ALPLA in Mexico, with which the Austrian plastics company from Hard is following its maxim: "Giving things value." Meaning here: The plants pay collectors to hand in recyclable plastic waste - the basis for active waste recycling where there would otherwise be no disposal.

Significant step towards a sustainable recycling system
With this commitment and investments of 50 million euros per year until 2025 for its own processing plants, ALPLA is setting pioneering standards in global recycling. And the initiative is proving successful: 15,000 tons of used PET have already been aggregated via the 18 collection points that have been put into operation for the PLANETA plant. 4,000 tons for the planned start of the plant in July 2024. The rest was processed by IMER and other recycling companies in Mexico.

The annual production capacity of the new plant will be 35,000 tons of recycled material, obtained from over 50,000 tons of disposed PET. This corresponds to approximately 1.6 billion recycled 1.5-liter plastic bottles[1], which are less likely to end up in landfills or in the environment each year.

Parallel promotion of the environment and the economy
In contrast to the IMER recycling plant, where the drop-off points are located in urban centers with good connectivity, the collection points for the PLANETA plant in south-eastern Mexico also cover structurally weak regions. This supports rural material suppliers, particularly those who are capable of delivering small quantities of 20 to 50 kilograms in this way.

In addition, each of the 18 collection points is equipped with two pick-up trucks with trailers, which are used to collect the recyclables from collectors in remote regions. At full capacity, the recycling plant generates around 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, an important driver for sustainability and economic development. With around 30 to 35 kilograms, or around 1.000 PET bottles, collectors earn an income equivalent to the minimum wage, depending on the current purchase price.

The motto "Giving things a value" also leads to more employment, a circular economy and environmental protection in Tabasco. In accordance with the "New Plastics Economy Global Commitment", which ALPLA and Coca-Cola FEMSA signed up to back in 2018. In collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation initiative has set a target of 100 percent of products being reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. At the same time, the proportion of recycled materials in the total material input is to increase to 25 percent. The plants in Mexico will contribute to this.

ALPLA Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co KG
Mockenstraße 34
6971 Hard
Austria

About "Plastic is fantastic"
"Plastic is fantastic" is about the relationship between humans and one of the most elementary building blocks of civilization: plastic. The initiative aims to achieve the appreciation that this versatile material deserves through factual contributions.
Alpla, the Austrian specialist for plastic packaging, has launched the campaign "Plastic is fantastic", due to its firm belief in the potential of recyclable material. Alpla is now in its third generation of commitment to sustainable recycling solutions and is also a pioneer in the development of new bioplastics. The new video "Plastic is fantastic" on YouTube also shows what makes plastic so fantastic.

This release was published on openPR.